Edmonton Oil Kings never considered themselves underdogs against Prince Albert

Forgive the Edmonton Oil Kings for rolling their eyes when they’re asked about the incredible upset in the making at Rogers Place.People are making it sound like they were a million to one shot to even stay competitive and the only thing missing from their wins over the Prince Albert Raiders was Al Micheals screaming “Do you believe in miracles?!”Trust them when they tell you they are not looking at the WHL’s Eastern Conference final through the same lens.Yes, Prince Albert finished the regular season 54-10-2-2 and were considered one of the top teams in the country for much of the year. But Edmonton never went into this thinking they were overmatched.Not for a second.“The regular season is something to be proud of, for sure,” said Oil Kings defenceman Wyatt McLeod. “We finished first in our division, too, don’t forget. But, in saying that, the playoffs are a totally different animal. It’s a new season. It’s a fresh start. You saw that in the first round with Medicine Hat; they took us to six. You never know what can happen and we’re proving that right now.”They proved the heck out of it Tuesday night with a convincing 5-1 victory to take a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 Wednesday. If splitting two games in Prince Albert didn’t serve notice that they are good enough to win this thing, Game 3 certainly did.“Everybody else kind of thought we were underdogs, but we knew we could battle with them and compete with them,” said Edmonton captain Trey Fix-Wolanski. “We never considered ourselves the underdogs, ever. It was just two very strong teams battling to see who could go to the finals.”And, right now, Edmonton has the upper hand, which, if you talk to Oil Kings coach Brad Lauer, isn’t nearly as shocking as some people would have you believe.“PA’s had a tremendous year, they’ve been No.1 in the country for the majority of the season,” said Lauer. “It’s a credit to them and a credit to their organization. They’ve been through a lot of things the last couple of years as far as not winning. It’s good to see a junior program get back on board like they did.“On the other side, we had a good year, too. When I compare our records, yes, they’re ahead of us, but if I break down over the last 34 games of the season … our record is better. That’s how I’m selling it to our guys. We’re a good team, we can compete with them.”The sell job is getting a lot easier as the series goes on. It’s easy to talk a good game, but to stand and deliver in enemy territory, then come back home and prove it was no fluke, does a lot to reinforce an already strong belief system.“They have to believe they can win in order to win,” said Lauer. “And I truly believe we can. But it just doesn’t come to you, you have to go get it. We’re playing a team that is very, very good, we know that. But we’re very good when we play our game. When we do play our game, our record is better.”BUILDING BLOCKSIt’s no small irony that in a clash between Edmonton and Prince Albert, the team with the $480 million arena doesn’t have the advantage when it comes to home ice advantage.Make no mistake, if Rogers Place had a guest house it would be nicer than the Art Hauser Centre, the 2,580-seat (3,366 if you count standing room) barn that hosts Prince Albert, but the battle of the buildings is no walkover.“The fans in PA, it’s crazy in there,” said Oil Kings defenceman Wyatt McLeod. “They love their hockey. It’s an interesting environment.”Interesting to say the least. It’s small and cramped, the fans are right on top of the players, the beams on the ceiling seem low enough to touch and the fans are as hostile as they come. It’s a stark contrast to palatial Rogers Place, but, like Rogers, it’s something every hockey fan should experience.“Rogers Place is brand new, our dressing room, the fans, it’s first class,” said Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer, adding you can probably fit three or four Art Hauser Centres in Rogers. “But in PA there is some character to that. There is some history there that goes way, way, way back. It’s a small building, a small community. Their fans are behind them. It’s special. Our guys enjoyed it. It had a little bit of everything in it. It’s fun to be in buildings like that. But our building can be pretty loud, too.”Especially when the home team is rolling out to a 4-0 lead.“It’s a little bit weird, moving from there to here,” said Fix-Wolanski. “But at the end of the day you just have to go out there and play, you can’t focus on the fans. You have to build your own momentum.”Follow me on twitter.com/rob_tychkowskirtychkowski@postmedia.com